Monster Hospital
by Yoshidas
Summary: Sometimes you can learn valuable lessons from the most unfit teachers. Deidara/OC


Numero uno!  
Enjoy! :D  
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go watch Naruto: The Abridged Series on YouTube. x)

**Chapter Summary: **Life sucks then you grow up.  
**Disclaimer: **Naruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto. I only own Uo, Hana, Kakun and Nadeshiko.

* * *

[ _Flashback: Getsugakure, the Yamashinta compound, twelve years ago._ ]

Bloodcurdling screams tore from inside the compound, flames lapping at the sky.

A five-year-old stood outside the wrought-iron gates, her hand grasped tightly in someone else's.

She couldn't tear her watering eyes away from the spectacle before her.

There was her home, the house she'd grown up in, burning to the ground. The screams? Those were of the unfortunate members of her clan whom were still trapped inside.

Her heart ached. She wanted to run inside. To rescue them. But, she couldn't. She were but five years old.

Finally, her tears spilled over, sliding down her pale, scarred cheeks. Lost, her gaze trailed upwards to the slim, blonde-haired, emerald-eyed teenager clutching your hand tightly.

Her name was Ryoku Uo. The Ryoku Clan, her clan, was on good terms and were rather close with the five-year-old's clan, which is why her parents had deemed it okay for her to spend time with the protective older girl.

"Uo?" her voice was strained.

"Yes, Kakun-san?"

"... I'm afraid. What... What will happen to me...? Where are Okaa-san and Otou-san? And everyone else?"

Uo sighed, falling to her knees in front of the child. Her only visible emerald eye, the other was covered by her silken blonde hair, stared into her wide, innocent lavender eyes.

"Kakun-san... I'm... I'm sorry. They're gone..."

Her bit your bottom lip, tears flowing freely now. Being of the Yamashinta clan, who were known as the _Youma Katarau_ (Ghost Talkers) for their understanding of death, the afterlife and limbo, she didn't take it as hard as most other children would. At a young age, she'd been plunged into your clan's dark dealings in abnormality.

Uo was watching the little one as her eyes slid slowly towards to smouldering remnants of her clan's compound. The smell of burning flesh wafted to her nose and she wrinkled it.

"... Death. It's a natural part of life, isn't it, Uo?" she spoke up, rather loudly.

The elder girl smiled sadly, bending over to gather Kakun into her arms and carry her. Gently, like a mother would, she smoothed the little one's hair, "Yeah, Kakun-san. It is."

Kakun's eyes glittered with tears. Her entire life, up in smoke. And she had no clue if the fire was accidental or not.

"Don't you worry, Kakun-san. I know my family will take care of you. You'll be okay." Uo mumbled, stroking her silver hair. Kakun allowed her head to drop onto Uo's shoulder, closing her eyes. She believed Uo. Trusted her. If Uo said that she would be okay, then she would be. That was all there was to it.

Soft sniffling alerted Uo to someone behind them. The blonde whirled around, her grip tightening on the innocent little child in her arms. She was prepared to fight whoever it was that had intruded on their sombre solitude.

Much to Uo's relief, it wasn't a stranger, but her own mother, who had been standing behind the two weeping for who knows how long. The tall, willowy woman strode forward to place her frail, fragile hands on Uo's shoulders.

"Oh, honey," she whispered, touching Kakun's face with a feather-light finger tip, "Don't worry, Kakun, you'll be just like family. Poor little thing..." she sighed, gently grasping Kakun's round face and turning it so as her emerald eyes could look upon the child's face.

Kakun blinked at the woman, absorbing her image. Ryoku Nadeshiko was a wispy woman, with hair that was thin and best described as dust-colored. Her grip on Kakun's little shoulders was strong, regardless of her twig-like appearance.

The child nodded in understanding, dropping her head back onto Uo's shoulder. Nadeshiko gripped Uo's arm lightly, moving to pull them away from the horror that they'd be watching for the last while. Uo obeying, moving away from the site of Kakun's orphaning.

Kakun closed her eyes. Yes... just like family. She would be okay. Nadeshiko and Uo wouldn't let anything harm her.

She would be okay.

* * *

[ _Flashback: The next day_ ]

Today was the day they'd dig out the bodies of the Yamashinta clan's deceased members.

Kakun were sitting in Uo's room, string tangled around her slender fingers. She had been playing Cat's Cradle until she'd heard the sound of charred lumber being moved.

Now she sat in silence, staring at her hands, for what seemed like forever. Lumber and metal scraped against the ground as various ninja and such freed the corpses of her clan members from the rubble.

It was hours until her limbs felt light enough to move and the sobs she'd been choking on finally died in her throat. By the time that she finally felt right enough to move, they'd finished. A familiar voice called to her from the furthest reaches of the Ryoku compound.

"Kakun-hime! Come, please!"

It was Nadeshiko. True to her promise and motherly nature, she had informally adopted Kakun and made every effort to see that she felt loved and accepted in her new home. One such way was the pet names she would call her. One being princess.

Kakun swung her little legs off the bed and hopped down. Still reeling from the reality of the tragedy that had consumed her life the night before, she shuffled herself towards the door and turned the knob.

The scuffling of small feet into the large greeting room alerted the woman's ears. Nadeshiko turned around, her emerald eyes meeting hollow lavender. Kakun stood by the entrance to the room, the sorrow she felt evident on her face. Swallowing the pity she felt, Nadeshiko smiled lovingly at the child. To her surprise, Kakun smiled back shyly.

"Listen, sweetie. I have something that's bound to make you very happy." Nadeshiko said, still smiling as she wagged a single, slender finger in front of Kakun's face when the child finally stood in front of her.

"Really, Oba-san? What is it?" the little one's eyes glittered in happiness.

"Yes. There were roughly 25 members living in your clan's compound right?" Kakun nodded and Nadeshiko continued, "Well, we only found 20 bodies, so five of them, besides you, escaped."

Kakun's eyes lit up with happiness, the kind of happiness that would be apparent had Nadeshiko given her her favourite toy.  
But oh, it was better than any toy. Members of her clan were alive. Her heart soared.

Nadeshiko saw the question in her eyes, "We don't know where they went, Kakun-hime. Chances are, they didn't know you survived either. But we'll keep looking. Promise." She leaned down, embracing Kakun much like a mother would her daughter. She hugged back, grateful for her support. Grateful for all of the Ryoku Clan's support.

* * *

[ _The Present: Konohagakure Gates_ ]

Kakun stood at the Konohagakure gates, Ryoku Uo, her best friend of forever, to her right. On her left was a twig-skinny girl with braided black hair and painted nails. Her hitai-ate covered her eyes and stray strands of hair covered her ears.

She glanced to her companions. Uo stood tall, her head scarf-like hitai-ate covering the top of her straight blonde hair. Said hair also shielded her right eye. She cleared five feet eight inches now. But, then again, she was always tall.

Her one visible emerald eye held its gaze on Kakun, giving her a quick once-over to assure herself that she wasn't hurt on the journey her. Her silver hair was cut in an uneven fashion, the right side shorter than the left.

Her slim frame was also swathed in a large, gloomy grey trench coat. She wore her normal ninja attire beneath it. Wrapped around her slender neck was a yellow and maroon scarf that was clearly too big for her tiny form.

Tucked in the front of her jacket was your trusty bear Anto, whom Uo's mother Nadeshiko had rescued from the remains of your clan's compound back in Getsugakure.

Kakun's eyes traveled towards her other companion, the dark-haired female. Her name was Mastashi Hana. She was as blind as a bat, which is why she chose to hide her eyes behind her hitai-ate.  
She could feel Kakun's gaze linger on her, though, and she smiled at the girl.

Kakun smiled back, "Ready to go, Hana-san? Uo-san?"

They both nodded at the same time, and Uo's hand grasped her shoulder.

"Let's go, onee-san." she said in her calm, stable voice.

"Yes, let's get this over with." Hana agreed, her thin lips twisting into a scowl. Kakun giggled, she was so impatient.

The three of them started towards the guards, Hana and Uo engaging in a conversation about ninja arts. Kakun, however, was watching the gates get nearer and nearer.

Kakun, Hana and Uo were Hunter-nin, sent by Getsugakure's Kage to provide the Hokage of Konohagakure with information they'd discovered about the Akatsuki.

It really didn't concern Getsugakure, though. Getsugakure was a tiny village, tucked away from the major villages deep in the forest. It was so far out of the way that it rarely saw visitors, neither good nor threatening. In fact, it'd nearly taken the three of them two weeks to arrive here. She was tired, and her feet hurt quite a bit. But she were never one to complain.

She was almost close enough that you could touch the gates, but the guards stopped her.

"Hey, you three! What business do you have in Konoha?" one of them barked.

"We've come from Getsugakure with a message for the Hokage," Uo supplied. She pulled a scroll from one of her many hidden pockets and presented it to the guard. The other guard looked at you two incredulously, "Getsugakure nin?! You must've come a long way."

Hana nodded, "Indeed. A long way, but for good reason."

The other guard had finished scanning the scroll, and nodded to the three of them, "Alright, everything seems okay. In you go."

Kakun smiled, bowing slightly in thanks before grabbing Hana's sleeve and Uo's hand and dragging them into the city.

Unbeknownst to the three Getsugakure nin, the guards were watching their retreating forms, "Wow... all the way from Getsugakure..."

* * *

[ _Present: Konohagakure, the Hokage's office_ ]

The three nin were seated in the Hokage's office, Uo and Hana's chairs positioned closest to the Hokage's desk, while Kakun's chair was centered and further back. Hana was busy chatting with the Hokage on the matters than their Getsukage had told them to relate and Uo was listening.

Kakun, on the other hand, was off in her own little world, gazing listlessly out of the window at the bright spring day outside.

Uo glanced back at Kakun briefly, before returning her attention to Hana's conversation with the Hokage.

- **Uo's PoV** -

"I see... wait, what did you say your names were again?" the Hokage, Tsunade, blinked at the two of us blankly.

I nearly facefaulted. '_How exactly did she become Hokage?_'

Luckily, Hana's calm thinking saved me from going off on a tangent.  
"I am Mastashi Hana, this is Ryoku Uo," she gestured to me, then finally towards the quiet, self-entertained girl sitting a little further back, "And this is Yamashinta Kakun."

Tsunade nodded again, "And what you say is true? The Akatsuki have been more active as of late?"

Hana nodded again, "That's right, Lady Hokage. It's not much of a threat to Getsugakure, seeing as we're so out of the way, but our 'Kage figured you might want to know."

Mentally, I thanked Hana repeatedly for her eloquence and grace with authority figures. I didn't have much patience for authority.

Tsunade smiled after a few moments, "Well, thanks. I mean it. Are you three leaving right away? I mean, you came all this way and..."

For the first time in the conversation, I opened my mouth, "I'm not sure. Probably, not, we might just say a little."

Tsunade's smile never left her face, "Good, good! Maybe you could oversee some of our Chunnin. It'd do them good."

I nodded, my lips twitching into a smile as well. It was contagious.

"We'd love to, Lady Hokage," I stood, bowing. Hana followed suit, tailed shortly by Kakun, whom I'd thought had zoned out a little while ago.

"Thanks again, you three! And enjoy your stay in Konoha!" she called, waving good-bye to us.

Hana smiled in parting, closing the door behind her.

Now we just had to find a decent inn.


End file.
